Rise & Fall of the Third Reich, a History of Nazi Germany 3rd Hardcover – January 1, 1960

I first read this back in high school, but I am glad I got another copy. It is still the best one-volume history of that period. It is the kind of book worth rereading every two decades: with more life experience, one can see deeper into how it all happened. It shows useful parallels to our own time, as a timeless history should.

My history-buff husband has read this book several times. His copy was falling apart, so I got him a new one for his birthday. He read it again. He reports that it is very readable and extremely well-researched.

Because I'm sixty-two, the Third Reich was contemporary event for my parents and not yet distant enough to be in the histories that I read as a child; or, even in the seventies at the Universities I attended. We were Viet Nam and protest. It is only now that I became interested in the history immediately preceding my entry on the planet; yet, this Book was launched on the tide of History in 1960 - just fifteen years after the Reich's dissolution and destruction. In this instance, because of the thousands of tons of extant documents discovered; a heap of documentation not even remotely equaled in any time latter in any histories, this Book was fitting to be written so soon after what it documents. Now, here is the first punch of the Book: it is accurate; quoting almost everyone standing as a part of the times, yet, meticulous documentation detracts nothing from the flow of the Book. It is like reading a brilliant fiction novel; but, it's not. Now, here is the knock-out punch! Shirer inserts himself into the Book not as an omniscient author; but as an eyewitness. It is cleaver and it is something I've never witnessed. Shirer does this in a way that although you know "he's there", it never, never, interrupts the Story, nor does it detract from the factual accounting - far from it. It's nothing short of a remarkable Genius-History. He inserts himself without being intrusive or observable although "he's there." Words fail me for what an absolutely tremendous Book this is. I'm on my second lap through it; I encourage you to buy this Book; lay back in the Lazy-Boy; and, read history with flair; a history like you've never experienced. Just a Tremendous Book. Shirer is over the top! Lay-hold of a copy and read ......

Thank you

As is well known and noted by other reviewers, Shirer's "Rise and Fall of the Third Reich" is widely considered the seminal work on the period, at least in the English speaking world. Most of my friends who were at least somewhat historically aware were familiar with the book, and regarded it well. As others have noted, the book is very well written. A journalist by profession, Shirer writes in an engaging style that holds the reader's interest through complex courses of events and makes what one expects to be a massive literary undertaking to be quite accessible.The book is also very well researched. In his foreward, Shirer notes the illustrative stat that the captured Nazi documents weighed a total of about 500 tons (!). Based on the proliferation of original quotes and annotations, it seems clear that Shirer has researched these as extensively as most authors could. He lays out events in great and careful detail, and for the discerning reader interested in a great level of detail, this is of great value. Despite the detail though, I felt that Shirer's perspective of the larger picture, of long-range trends, causes and effects, and the kinds of analysis that make history so fascinating was somewhat deficient. Perhaps it's because he's not a professional historian, or perhaps it's because, as others have noted, he's writing with an agenda and uses facts as weapons, but I found this to be a minor deficiency in the writing, though it is easy to overlook since his style is so readable.Another common complaint is Shirer's clear anti-Nazi bias. Of course it's foregiveable, since it would be very difficult for any person, especially one who lived under them, to not hate the Nazis, but as the prerogative of a historian is to assume the mantle of objectivity, I find the criticism somewhat valid.As the title of the review suggests, I found the book too heavily focused on the military picture, and I felt it paid to little attention to other aspects of the Third Reich. He describes most of the personnel changes in the German general staff, in addition to standing orders and other minor events, in great detail. This may be because he is fixated on downplaying the German resistance movement. In any case, I found that much of this was unnecessary and felt that more detail on some of aspects of the Third Reich which the author treats more lightly would have been more valuable. Examples of such topics include foreign relations with the US, the middle eastern countries and Switzerland, as well as trade policy and the Japanese alliance. While many of these topics may not be pivotal, I feel they should have been covered in what is supposed to be a comprehensive work.Finally, Shirer's discussion of life in the Third Reich is very informative and valuable, especially since most of it is from a first person perspective. He discusses culture and the arts, popular sentiment, militarism, etc. I wish there had been more of it, but what there was was good.I recommend this book as a good introduction to the period, and an in-depth exposition on the military events.

I have owned this volume since it was originlly published. It has a place of honor in my personal library. My recent purchase was a Christmas gift for an adult son who requested it. This volume, at over 1200 pages, is not for the person with a casual interest in American and World history. For the history buff, it is a fascinating tale of how a relatively small group of thugs hijacked a country and, in a few short years, 1933 to 1945, brought that country to ruin. It stands as an important cautionary tale for the United States today as it has to deal with thugocracys around the world. William Shirer was not an academic who researched ancient writings of other authors to produce his book. He was a reporter who lived in Germany after World War I and watched the events unfold from inside the country. The writing is authentic. The tale told is gripping. For the serious history buff, I can only say that it is worth the time to read every page. After you have read it, you will want to pick it up again, from time to time, to remind yourself how important it is to pay attention to what YOUR politicians are doing and to RAISE HELL when they are not truly representing the people.

Interesting parallels of what is happening today to Nazi Germany in the early years.

A intimate and fascinating insight read on how the Third Reich came to power. A must read of all ages.

Excellent history have bought this because I wanted a folio copy as I have another hard back. well written a must for any serious reader of WWII history

Good WW2 history book, great price

A modern masterpiece

For students of history or for the casual observer this book is a compelling study of a fascinating and troubling time.